System and method for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag to facilitate loading the bag with contents

ABSTRACT

A system assists kitchen workers with the filling of refrigerator bags by providing a system for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag during the placement of material within the bag. The system includes a first U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends and a second U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends. A first coupler couples a first leg of the first U-shaped member to a first leg of the second U-shaped member and a second coupler couples a second leg of the first U-shaped member to a second leg of the second U-shaped member. The coupler limits the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so that the first and the second distal ends of both U-shaped members remain stationary to hold in an open position a refrigerator bag having its mouth folded over the distal ends of the U-shaped members when the closed ends are rotated to the limit of their outward travel and the closed ends are placed on a level surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to bag holders, and more particularly, to bag holders that stabilize a bag to facilitate the placement of materials in the bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Refrigerator bags are typically used to store leftovers from meals or to break large units of produce and other food items into quantities that are useable on a per meal basis. For example, fruit, such as various types of berries, may be purchased in large quantities and brought to a kitchen where they are cleaned for storage. The berries are then placed in refrigerator or freezer bags so they can be stored in a freezer to help preserve the freshness of the produce for later use. The bags used for storage may be selected to be a size that stores a quantity of berries that roughly corresponds with the amount of berries that may be used for a single meal or occasion. By segregating the berries into smaller units for storage, a single unit may be extracted and used without disturbing the storage of the berries in the other units.

The process of transferring the cleaned food items into a refrigerator or freezer bag can be troublesome. For example, berries are relatively fragile and rough treatment during transfer of the fruit to a bag may result in bruises or other imperfections for the fruit. The transfer of food items may also be complicated by the shape and size of the food. For example, strawberries are neither round nor triangular but a varying combination of these two shapes. Attempts to “pour” strawberries from a container into bag can result in chaotic distribution of the berries, some of which actually land in the bag. Others, however, bounce on the counter surface or even worse, fall to the floor. One would prefer to use two hands to facilitate the transfer of food items to refrigerator storage bags, but one hand must be used to hold the mouth of the bag open so that food may be transferred into the bag. Consequently, accidents in the transfer of food to bags for storage occur more frequently than desired.

The construction of the refrigerator/freezer storage bags also present problems with their easy use during transfer of food items to the bags. They appear to be two flat sheets of polymeric material that are joined together by a U-shaped seam to form an internal volume for the bag. At the inside of the mouth of the bag, one sheet has a raised bead, while a groove is formed in the other sheet opposite the bead. The raised bead acts a tongue so the bead and groove cooperate to provide a hermetic seal when the bead is pressed into engagement with the groove. Longitudinal reinforcement ribs may be formed in the sheets above the tongue and groove structure of the bag seal to provide a gripping surface for holding the bag during the transfer operation.

The flat sheet structure of the storage bag forms a mouth for the bag that is neither round nor rectangular. Instead, the mouth is generally an oval shape that is pointed at each narrow end of the oval. To successfully transfer food items into a mouth of this shape, the first food items must land in the widest opening of the mouth, which is located at approximately the midpoint of the opening. Of course, this attempt to accurately place food items in this preferred target area of the bag mouth is usually hindered by difficulties in managing a container that is full of the food items that may or may not tumble or pour towards the intended target region. Additionally, the flattening of the storage bags for storage in the box in which they were purchased also causes the mouth of the bag to resist remaining fully open. This constriction of the bag mouth reduces the target area for the transfer operation of the food items.

What is needed is a way of holding a refrigerator bag open for the transfer of food items to the bag so a worker may use two hands to facilitate the transfer of the food items through the mouth of the bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the need for assisting kitchen workers with the filling of refrigerator bags by providing a system for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag to facilitate the placement of material within the bag. The system includes a first U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends and a second U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends. A first coupler couples a first leg of the first U-shaped member to a first leg of the second U-shaped member and a second coupler couples a second leg of the first U-shaped member to a second leg of the second U-shaped member. The coupler limits the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so that the first and the second distal ends of both U-shaped members remain stationary to hold in an open position a refrigerator bag having its mouth folded over the distal ends of the U-shaped members when the closed ends are rotated to the limit of their outward travel and the closed ends are placed on a level surface.

The U-shaped members of the system may have closed ends that are curved ends or the closed ends of the U-shaped members may be affixed to the legs extending from the closed ends at substantially a right angle. The latter configuration is preferred as it provides a more stable platform and more room for the expansion of the internal volume of the refrigerator bag. The closed ends may also have rubber tubing around them to provide a more slip resistant platform for the system.

The system of the present invention also includes a plurality of end caps. One end cap covers the distal end of each leg of the U-shaped members. The end caps are formed from a material having low coefficient of friction and are rounded to facilitate controlled slippage of the bag as its internal volume is filled. The end caps enable the refrigerator bag to be held during filling with reduced risk that the bag will catch on a distal end and tear as the weight of the contents within the bag exert a downward force on the mouth of the bag. Alternatively or additionally, the U-shaped members may be coated with a plastic or rubberized coating as known for covering dish drains or the like.

The coupler for the system includes a pivot pin for extending through the legs of the first and the second U-shaped members that are coupled together. Also, the pivot pin holds a bracket in engagement with one of the legs coupled together by the pin. The bracket may be U-shaped so that the flanges extending from mounting plane of the bracket stop the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members at a position that holds the distal ends stationary for supporting a refrigerator bag folded over the distal ends. While a U-shaped bracket has been provided as an example of a stop member that may be used to limit the outward travel of the U-shaped members, other stop members for controlling the movement of pivoting members as known in the art may be used.

The pivot pin includes a portion that is threaded so the pin mates with a threaded hole in the bracket held in engagement with the legs joined together by the pin. The bracket may be mounted on the inside of the legs and the head of the pivot pin may be on the outside of the legs. The absence of threads in the holes of the legs through which the pivot pin passes facilitates the pivoting of the legs about the pivot pin. The U-shaped members may be formed from cylindrical material such 3/16ths diameter wire or tubular material. The cylindrical material from which the U-shaped members are formed is flattened about the holes through the legs of the U-shaped members to facilitate the movement of the legs past one another. Additionally, spacers are provided between the bracket and the legs as well as between the legs to further facilitate the movement of the legs relative to one another. The U-shaped members may also be flat bar material, although the stability of this type of frame may not be as stable as the cylindrical material.

The U-shaped members of the present invention are sized to correspond to the height of the refrigerator bags to be used with the system of the present invention. That is, the legs of the U-shaped members have a length that is approximately one inch less than the height of the bag to be used with the system. This differential enables the mouth of the refrigerator bag to be folded over the distal ends of the legs of the U-shaped members so the bottom of the bag rests on the level surface that supports the system of the present invention. For one gallon bags, the length of the legs of the U-shaped members is approximately 8½ inches, while the length of the legs of the U-shaped members for a system used with one quart bags is approximately 5¾ inches. Because the system of the present invention uses two frame members having open ends, the bag may be oriented so that its width at the bottom of the bag extends over the closed ends of the system. This enables the bag to more easily expand as its internal volume is filled and the weight of the contents also helps hold the system in place.

The system of the present invention may be used to stabilize a refrigerator storage bag during the placement of material within the bag. The method of using the system includes rotating two U-shaped members, each of which has a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end, that are joined to one another by a pair of couplers so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move away from one another until stopped by the couplers. The closed ends of each U-shaped member are placed on a substantially level surface so that the ends of the legs extending from the closed ends of the U-shaped members remain stationary. A refrigerator bag mouth is folded over the ends of the legs of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so the bottom of the refrigerator bag rests on the closed ends of the U-shaped members. With the bag open and supported by the ends of the legs of the U-shaped members, material is poured into the refrigerator bag through the mouth of the bag. Once filled to a desired level, the refrigerator bag is closed by mating tongue and groove elements formed along an inside of the bag mouth so the bag and its contents can be stored. After use, the two U-shaped members are rotated so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move towards one another so the bag frame formed by the two U-shaped members consumes less space during storage.

The system of the present invention may be made by coupling a first U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end to a second U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end so that the closed ends of the two U-shaped members pivot towards and away from one another. A stop is placed near a position where the first U-shaped member is coupled to the second U-shaped member to limit the outward travel of the closed ends when they pivot away from one another. The U-shaped members may be formed from tubular stock or cylindrical wire so that the closed ends of the first and the second U-shaped members are straight legs joined to the legs extending from each closed end at approximately a right angle. Each end of each leg extending from the closed end of the U-shaped members is covered with an end cap to complete the assembly.

The coupling of the two U-shaped members may be achieved by joining one of the legs of the first U-shaped member to one of the legs of the second U-shaped member with a pivot pin. A bracket is mounted in engagement with the joined legs of the first and the second U-shaped members so that the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members is stopped by the bracket. The bracket may include a threaded hold for mating with a threaded portion of the pivot pin.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system incorporating the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the components comprising the coupler of the system shown in FIG. 1 from a perspective above the system in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C depict use of a system incorporating the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the coupler components about the legs of the U-shaped members shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a system 10 for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag to facilitate the placement of material within the bag. The system 10 includes a first U-shaped frame member 14 having a closed end 18 and two legs 20 a and 20 b extending from the closed end 18 that terminate into distal ends 24 a and 24 b. The system 10 also includes a second U-shaped frame member 28 having a closed end 30 and two legs 34 a and 34 b extending from the closed end 30 that terminate into distal ends 38 a and 38 b. A first coupler 40 a couples a first leg 20 a of the first U-shaped member 14 to a first leg 34 a of the second U-shaped member 28 and a second coupler 40 b couples a second leg 20 b of the first U-shaped member 14 to a second leg 34 b of the second U-shaped member 28. The couplers limit the outward travel of the closed ends 18 and 30 of the U-shaped members 14 and 28 so that the first and the second distal ends of both U-shaped members remain stationary to hold in an open position a refrigerator bag having its mouth folded over the distal ends of the U-shaped members when the closed ends are rotated to the limit of their outward travel and the closed ends are placed on a level surface. The system may also include rubber tubing or coating 44 a and 44 b about a portion of the closed ends 18 and 30 to increase the coefficient of friction between the system 10 and the level surface on which it is placed. Alternatively or additionally, the U-shaped members 14 and 28 may be metal members that are coated with a plastic or rubber coating.

The U-shaped members 14 and 28 may have closed ends 18 and 30 that are curved ends or the closed ends of the U-shaped members may be affixed to the legs extending from the closed ends at substantially a right angle as shown in FIG. 1. The latter configuration is preferred as it provides a more stable platform and more room for the expansion of the internal volume of the refrigerator bag.

The system shown in FIG. 1 also includes a plurality of end caps 48 a, 48 b, 48 c, and 48 d. One end cap covers the distal end of each leg of the U-shaped members 14 and 28. The end caps are formed from a material having a low coefficient of friction and are rounded to facilitate controlled slippage of the bag as its internal volume is filled. The end caps enable the refrigerator bag to be held during filling with reduced risk that the bag will catch on a distal end and tear as the weight of the contents within the bag exert a downward force on the mouth of the bag.

The coupler for the system shown in FIG. 1 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. As shown in that figure, each coupler includes a pivot pin 50 for extending through the legs 24 a and 34 a of the first and the second U-shaped members 14 and 28 that are coupled together. Also, the pivot pin 50 holds a bracket 54 in engagement with one of the legs 34 a coupled together by the pin 50. The bracket 54 may be U-shaped as shown in FIG. 2 so that the flanges extending from mounting plane 56 of the bracket 54 stop the outward travel of the legs 34 a and 34 b so that the closed ends 18 and 30 of the U-shaped members 14 and 28 remain at a position that holds the distal ends stationary for supporting a refrigerator bag folded over the distal ends. While a U-shaped bracket 54 has been provided as an example of a stop member that may be used to limit the outward travel of the U-shaped members, other stop members for controlling the movement of pivoting members as known in the art may be used.

The pivot pin 50 shown in FIG. 2 is preferably a rivet having its head on the inside of the system 10 and its expanded end on the outside of the system to hold the bracket 54. The shaft of the rivet passes through holes in the legs of the U-shaped members. Preferably, spacers 58 are placed between the two legs and also between the outside leg and the bracket 54. The spacers may be metal washers or other appropriate spacers. As shown in the figure, the legs are preferably flattened about the holes through which the rivet passes. The flattening facilitates the rotation of the two legs relative to one another.

The pivot pin 50 shown in FIG. 2 may include a portion that is threaded so the pin 50 mates with a threaded hole 60 in the bracket 54 that is held in engagement with the legs joined together by the pin 50. The bracket 54 may be mounted on the outside of the legs and the head of the pivot pin 50 may be on the inside of the legs. The absence of threads in the holes of the legs through which the pivot pin 50 passes facilitates the pivoting of the legs about the pivot pin. As shown in FIG. 1, the U-shaped members are formed from cylindrical material such as 3/16ths diameter wire or tubular material, although the members 14 and 28 may be formed from flat stock. The cylindrical material from which the U-shaped members are formed is flattened about the holes through the legs of the U-shaped members to facilitate the movement of the legs past one another. Additionally, spacers 58 are provided between the bracket and the legs as well as between the legs to further facilitate the movement of the legs relative to one another.

The U-shaped members of the present invention are sized to correspond to the height of the refrigerator bags to be used with the system of the present invention. That is, the legs of the U-shaped members have a length that is approximately one inch less than the height of the bag to be used with the system. This differential enables the mouth of the refrigerator bag to be folded over the distal ends of the legs of the U-shaped members so the bottom of the bag rests on the level surface that supports the system of the present invention. For one gallon bags, the length of the legs of the U-shaped members is approximately 8½ inches, but should not exceed 9/2 inches. The length of the legs of the U-shaped members for a system used with one quart bags is approximately 5¾ inches, but should not exceed 6¾ inches. Because the system of the present invention uses two frame members having open ends, the bag may be oriented so that its width at the bottom of the bag extends over the closed ends of the system. This enables the bag to more easily expand as its internal volume is filled and the weight of the contents also helps hold the system in place.

The system of the present invention may be used to stabilize a refrigerator storage bag during the placement of material within the bag. The method of using the system includes rotating two U-shaped members, each of which has a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end, that are joined to one another by a pair of couplers so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move away from one another until stopped by the couplers (FIG. 3A). The closed ends of each U-shaped member are placed on a substantially level surface so that the ends of the legs extending from the closed ends of the U-shaped members remain stationary. A refrigerator bag mouth is folded over (FIG. 3B) and placed over the ends of the legs of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so the bottom of the refrigerator bag rests on the closed ends of the U-shaped members (FIG. 3C). With the bag open and supported by the ends of the legs of the U-shaped members, material is poured into the refrigerator bag through the mouth of the bag. Once filled to a desired level, the refrigerator bag is closed by mating tongue and groove elements formed along an inside of the bag mouth so the bag and its contents can be stored. After use, the two U-shaped members are rotated so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move towards one another so the bag frame formed by the two U-shaped members consumes less space during storage.

The system of the present invention may be made by coupling a first U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end to a second U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end so that the closed ends of the two U-shaped members pivot towards and away from one another. A stop is placed near a position where the first U-shaped member is coupled to the second U-shaped member to limit the outward travel of the closed ends when they pivot away from one another. The U-shaped members may be formed from tubular stock or cylindrical wire so that the closed ends of the first and the second U-shaped members are straight legs joined to the legs extending from each closed end at approximately a right angle. Each end of each leg extending from the closed end of the U-shaped members is covered with an end cap to complete the assembly.

The coupling of the two U-shaped members may be achieved as shown in FIG. 4 by joining one of the legs 24 a of the first U-shaped member 14 to one of the legs 34 a of the second U-shaped member 28 with a pivot pin 50. A first spacer 58 is placed between the first and second legs and a second spacer 58 is placed on the outside of the outside leg. The holes in the spacers 58 and the holes in the legs are aligned so that the pivot pin 50 passes through the holes to hold the spacers and legs in relation to one another. A hole in a bracket 54 is placed on the end of the pivot pin 50 to mount the bracket into engagement with the joined legs of the first and the second U-shaped members so that the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members is stopped by the bracket. If the pivot pin 50 is a rivet, the rivet is popped to join the legs of the system 10 with the coupler. If the pivot pin terminates into a threaded portion, the hole in bracket 54 is threaded so that threaded end of the pivot pin 50 is screwed into the threaded hole of the bracket 54.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of exemplary processes and system components, and while the various processes and components have been described in considerable detail, applicant does not intend to restrict or in any limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will also readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broadest aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, implementations, or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. 

1. A system for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag to facilitate the placement of material within the bag, the system comprising: a first U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends; a second U-shaped frame member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end that terminate into distal ends; a first coupler for coupling a first leg of the first U-shaped member to a first leg of the second U-shaped member; a second coupler for coupling a second leg of the first U-shaped member to a second leg of the second U-shaped member, the coupler limiting the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so that the first and the second distal ends of both U-shaped members remain stationary to hold in an open position a refrigerator bag having its mouth folded over the distal ends of the U-shaped members when the closed ends are rotated to the limit of their outward travel and the closed ends are placed on a level surface.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed ends of the U-shaped members are affixed to the legs extending from the closed ends at substantially a right angle.
 3. The system of claim 2 further comprising: a plurality of end caps, one to cover each distal end of the U-shaped members so that the refrigerator bag with reduced risk of tearing the bag.
 4. The system of claim 1, each coupler further comprising: a pivot pin for extending through the legs of the first and the second U-shaped members that are coupled together; and a bracket held in engagement by the pivot pin with one of the legs coupled together so that the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members is stopped by the bracket at a position that holds the distal ends stationary for holding the refrigerator bag.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the pivot pin of each coupler is a rivet that passes through a hole in each of the legs of the first and the second U-shaped members and through a hole in the bracket.
 6. The system of claim 4 wherein at least a portion of the pivot pin of each coupler is threaded and one of the legs of the U-shaped members and the bracket held in engagement with the coupled legs includes a threaded hole for mating with the pivot pin.
 7. The system of claim 4 wherein the legs and closed ends of the U-shaped members are cylindrical except the pivot pins pass through a flattened portion of the legs of the U-shaped members.
 8. The system of claim 1 further comprising: rubber tubing encasing a portion of the closed ends of the first and the second U-shaped members.
 9. A method for stabilizing a refrigerator storage bag to facilitate the placement of material within the bag comprising: rotating two U-shaped members, each of which has a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end, that are joined to one another by a pair of couplers so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move away from one another until stopped by the couplers; placing the closed ends of each U-shaped member on a substantially level surface so that the ends of the legs extending from the closed ends of the U-shaped members remain stationary; and folding a refrigerator bag mouth over the ends of the legs of the closed ends of the U-shaped members so an internal volume of the refrigerator bag can extend beyond the closed ends of the U-shaped members when the refrigerator bag rests on the substantially level surface.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising: pouring material into the refrigerator bag through the mouth of the bag.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: closing the refrigerator bag by mating tongue and groove elements formed along an inside of the bag mouth.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising: rotating the two U-shaped members so that the closed ends of the U-shaped members move towards one another whereby the bag frame formed by the two U-shaped members is closed for storage.
 13. A method for making a bag frame used to stabilize a refrigerator storage bag for placement of material within the bag, the method comprising: coupling a first U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end to a second U-shaped member having a closed end and two legs extending from the closed end so that the closed ends of the two U-shaped members pivot towards and away from one another; and placing a stop near a position where the first U-shaped member is coupled to the second U-shaped member to limit the outward travel of the closed ends when they pivot away from one another.
 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising: forming the U-shaped members from tubular stock so that the closed ends of the first and the second U-shaped members are straight legs joined to the legs extending from each closed end at approximately a right angle.
 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising: forming the U-shaped members from flat stock so that the closed ends of the first and the second U-shaped members are straight legs joined to the legs extending from each closed end at approximately a right angle.
 16. The method of claim 13 further comprising: covering an end of each leg extending from the closed end of the U-shaped members with an end cap.
 17. The method of claim 13 further comprising: joining one of the legs of the first U-shaped member to one of the legs of the second U-shaped member with a pivot pin; and mounting a bracket in engagement with the joined legs of the first and the second U-shaped members so that the outward travel of the closed ends of the U-shaped members is stopped by the bracket.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising: placing a rivet through holes in the first and second legs and through the bracket that are aligned with one another; and riveting a threaded portion of the pivot pin with a threaded hole in the bracket.
 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising: mating a threaded portion of the pivot pin with a threaded hole in the bracket. 